After sipping from a drink in a stranger’s apartment, the woman blacked out.

When she awoke hours later, it was in her own bed, and she lay in a pool of her own blood and fecal matter – the result of a sexual assault so violent, police say she could have died without medical help.

An El Paso County jury on Tuesday heard an overview of the Colorado Springs woman’s July 2012 ordeal as a trial began for Sarmad Fadhi “Levi” Mohammed, one of five Iraqi immigrants implicated in the attack.

All were recently brought to the U.S. with the help of military members after assisting U.S. troops in Iraq, either as translators or intelligence sources.

Accused of forcing the woman, who is in her 50s, to perform oral sex as she lay dazed or unconscious on a couch, the 26-year-old Mohammed is charged with sexual assault and faces the potential of life in prison if convicted.

During opening statements Tuesday, prosecutors Mike Allen told a jury that while Mohammed didn’t injure the woman, he is responsible for concocting a cover story for Colorado Springs police to hide the identity of the man who did.

“Why did he do that?” Allen asked after pointing a finger at the defendant. “To protect his friend, Jasim Ramadon, and to protect himself.”